Garment-supporter.



P. J. EKLUND.

GARMENT SUPPORTEB.- APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1909.

973,017., Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Witnmao PAUL J. EKLUND, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GARMENT-SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Application filed May 25, 1909. Serial No. 498,323.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL J. EKLUND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved garment supporting device which is specially adapted for the use of boys and youths, although it is by no means limited to such use inasmuch as it may be found to be extremely useful by bicyclists and other sportsmen who affect the use of. knickerbockers and long stockings.

The invention has for its object to provide in a single organized device supporting means for the trousers or knickerbockers as well as for the stockings; the device being so constructed and arranged that dressing and undressing shall be greatly facilitated; that the stocking support may be separately cast off or detached; that the trousers support may likewise be separably cast off or detached and that when desired the stocking support may remain connected with the supporting means for the front of the trousers when cast off, thus preventing the loss of parts of the device by causing the several parts to remain connected with the stockings and the trousers when the garments are removed.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of the character described which shall possess superior advantages in point of simplicity, durability and general efliciency; and with these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim, may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawingFigure 1 is a front view, partly in perspective, of a garment supporting device constructed in accordance with tudinal section produced through one of the garment-supporting members. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the trousers cast-off as it appears when the parts are separated. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the stocking cast-off, detached, and related parts. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a portion of the stocking with its supporting device detached from the suspender strap.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The suspender straps 66 are crossed diagonally at the back, being connected at the points of intersection by suitable connecting means such as stitching 7. The rear ends of the suspender straps have been shown equipped with button-hole tabs 8 of ordinary construction. The forward ends of the Suspender straps are doubled upon themselves and form loops 9 the front terminals of said straps being connected with the bodies of the straps by buckles 10 which permit the loops to be lengthened or shortened,

thus providing means whereby the effective length of the straps may be regulated in a manner whlch is well known 1n suspenders and allied supporting devices.

Each of the loops 9 supports an elongated link 11 which is utilized for the purpose of attaching a cast-off member A, constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material, and comprising a front plate 12 having slots 13 and provided at its lower end with a hook 14, and a resilient tongue 15 extending downwardly from the upper end of the plate to a point below the bill of the hook,

and having terminal lugs 16 adapted to work in the slots 13. The construction of the castoff here briefly described and illustrated 1n the drawing, is not included in the present invention, but simply represents an article which may be purchased in the open market and which has been utilized in the construction of the improved article. It may here be appropriately stated that the remaining castofi's as well as the links, buckles, stocking supporters and other parts used in the construction of the device, may be purchased in the open market; the present invention depending for novelty upon the peculiar and novel arrangement, assemblage and combination of the component parts.

B -B designate stocking supporting straps, preferably made of elastic material and provided at their upper ends with the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longiturned-over and securely stitched portions forming loops 17; the lower ends of said straps being doubled upon themselves to form loops 18 the length of which may be adjusted by means ofbuckles, 9 The loops 17 at the upper ends of the straps B are equipped with links 19 and 20. The links 19 extend upwardly from the straps B and are connected with the hooks 14 of the castoffs A, being securely retained in said hooks by means of the terminal lugs 16 of the resilient tongues 15; it being, however, evident that by pressing the resilient tongues so as to project the lugs 16 through the slots 13, the links 19 may be readily separated or detached from the hooks. The links 20 extend dmvnwardly in front of the straps B and are equipped with cast-offs G of ordinary well known construction for the straps 21 having terminal button-holes 22 for connection with the buttons upon the front of the trousers. The loops 18 at the lower ends of the straps B carry links '23 which serve for the attachl'nent of suitable cast-offs 241 having terminal hooks 25 at their upper ends whereby they may be detachably connected with the links 23, said cast-offs being also provided with resilient tongues 26 engaging the hooks so as to prevent accidental detachment. The lower ends of the cast-offs 24 are equipped with links 27 carrying stocking supporters 28 of ordinary well known construction.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, the operation and advantages will be readily understood. Then the improved garment supporter is adjusted across the shoulders of the wearer, the tabs 8 are connected in the usual manner with the buttons upon the rear portion of the trousers band after which the button-hole tabs 22 are likewise connected with the buttons upon the front portion of the band. The straps BB are permitted to depend inside the trousers leg, the stocking supports 28 having been previously detached by disconnecting the cast-offs 2 1 from the links 23, if desired. This permits the stocking supports to be connected with the stockings without any straining or effort on the part of the wearer, and the cast-offs may afterward be very readily connected with the links 24. It will be seen that the arrangement herein described permits the trousers to be loosened by unbuttoning the tabs 8 and disconnecting the front portion by disengaging the straps 21 from the cast-offs C; the wearer may thus assume a sitting posture without disconnecting the stocking supporting members of the device. When undressing the cast-offs 241 may be disengaged from the links 23, thus leaving the supporters 28 connected with the stockings and saving the wear upon the eraoitt stockings, "which is the V described permits the trousers to be loosened by unbuttoning the tabs 8 and disconnecting the front portion by disengaging the links 19 from the cast-off 12 (the suspending strap B being upheld by loops 21 which remain connected) thus allowing the wearer to assume a sitting posture without disarranging the position of suspenders on shoul der and greatly facilitating reconnection of tabs 8 to trousers. T/Vhen undressing, the straps 21 may be disengaged from cast-offs G and the links 19 from cast-offs 12 leaving the suspending straps B connected with stockings; so that in dressing, the links 19 may be attached to buckles A while wearer is standing in upright positionand trousers are drawn fully on. Also if desired, the cast-offs 21 may be disengaged from the links 23, thus leaving the supporters 28 connected with the stockings and saving the wear upon the stockings, which is caused by the frequent detachment and replacement of the supporting members; or, if desired, the links 19 may be detached from the cast-offs 12, thus leaving the suspending straps B connected with the stockings.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a device of the kind described, a pair of suspender straps, a second pair of straps, engaging means carried by the forward ends of the first pair of straps to detachably connect said forward ends with the respective upper ends of the second pair of straps, a cast off fixed to each of the second pair of straps adjacent its upper end, a trousers supporter carried by each cast off, a pair of stocking supporting devices, and engaging means carried by the stocking supporting devices to detachably connect the stocking supporting devices to the lower ends of the second pair of straps, said trousers supporters and stocking supporting devices being connected to the suspender straps solely through the second pair of straps whereby respective trousers supporters and stocking supporting devices may remain connected when the second pair of straps are disconnected from the suspender straps.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIN C. MYRON, AL. C. I-IoHN UIsr. 

